I hate reciprocal linking.

It is such a hassle. Even specialized reciprocal linking sites don't really help all that much. Many of the link requests that I do get are from poker sites that are totally irrelevant to my site's content. Most of the sites that I would like to link to don't respond. Some sites supposedly do respond, but, when I search their sites, I can't find my link anywhere. It is just so totally and completely frustrating.

Link popularity is a major factor in search engine rankings. How does someone like me, who despises reciprocal linking, go about improving my site's link popularity?

Fortunately for me, I have discovered two ways to do exactly that. They are blogging and submitting articles.

I added the Work At Home Ideas Blog(http://www.affiliateutopia.com/blog/) to my website two weeks ago. Search engines love content and blogs are about the easiest way to add fresh content to your site. But, how can a blog improve your site's link popularity? Most blogs feature their own RSS or XML feed. If a visitor to your blog likes your content, then he just might decide to syndicate your content on his website. In the past two weeks, my blog's XML feed has been hit more than 150 times. I expect to get at least some new links out of that.

Writing articles and submitting them to article directories is another great way to get more links pointing back to your site. You can place your own "resource box"(similar to the one at the bottom of this article) at the bottom of your articles. Your resource box wiil contain a link back to your website. The article directory will publish your article and--BAM-you have an instant link back to your website. Submitting articles is a great way to get your site's popularity going like gangbusters.

Here are some outstanding article directories that you should be submitting to: IdeaMarketers -- http://www.ideamarketers.com/ EzineArticles -- http://www.ezinearticles.com/ GoArticles -- http://www.goarticles.com/ ISnare -- http://www.isnare.com/ Internet Home Business Articles-- http://www.internethomebusinessarticles.com/

Here is a little tip for your article submissions. Many article directories allow you to enter HTML code in your articles. This gives you the ability to control the anchor text of your site's link in the resource box of your article. The anchor text of your link serve as keywords for the search engines. Use a keyword research tool, such as Good Keywords(http://www.goodkeywords.com/), to vary your anchor text from week to week. By doing this, you will rapidly build up a number of keywords for your site.

By using your blog's RSS or XML feed and submitting articles, you can increase the link poularity of your website without all of the hassles of reciprocal linking.

Copyright 2005 Ronald Gibson

Ronald Gibson is a Web Designer and Web Marketer. He is the Webmaster of AffiliateUtopia.com, which offers information about some of the best money making opportunities on the Web. For more information, visit: http://www.affiliateutopia.com/